Berardino changed Stonehill volleyball
For her collegiate volleyball career, Mia Berardino put her trust in a program that was making the tough transition up to Division I.
Four years later, and it’s a decision that’s worked wonders for both parties.
Berardino just wrapped up a fantastic senior season and career that saw her named to the All-Northeast Conference Second Team. The Rowley native and former Triton star was a team captain for the Skyhawks this fall, and was named Team MVP for the second season in a row. She finished third in the entire conference in kills (345) and total points (385) — reaching the 1,000-point career milestone midway through the season — and for the second year in a row, she led the team in scoring with 345 kills, 194 digs, 28 aces and 23 blocks.
In a five-set victory over Le Moyne, Berardino set a new program record — at the DI level — with 23 kills. She also recorded a career-high 5 blocks during that win, and had a career-best 17 digs against New Haven. Overall, her total kill number for the year placed her 47th in the entire country at the Division I level.
Then the career numbers for Berardino, who was our 2021 Daily News MVP as a senior captain for the Vikings, are eye-popping. The Marketing major leaves Stonehill with 955 career kills, 518 digs, 91 aces and 77 blocks.
Cleary named All-NEC First Team
Peter Cleary went out in style.
One of Pentucket’s finest three-sport athletes ever, the Groveland native just put together an excellent senior season for the Central Connecticut State football team. Now bulked up to a 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end, he was recently named All-Northeast Conference First Team after having a career year on the gridiron. Cleary caught 24 passes for 335 yards across 10 games for the Blue Devils (8-5), and cemented his First Team status with a 5-catch, 111-yard and 1-touchdown game against Duquesne.
It mirrors the start of Cleary’s senior year at Pentucket back in 2019-20, when he was named a Daily News All-Star in football, basketball and baseball. Back then, he set the school’s single-season record for passing yards (1,715) and touchdowns (22) — marks that have since both been passed — then went on to average a team-high 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in basketball. He would then end the year posting a 5-2 record with a 0.99 ERA as the ace pitcher of the baseball team.
Captains Corner
Even though the high school fall sports season is winding down over the next two weeks, The Newburyport News is still accepting admissions for our Captains Corner series. Coaches — or parents or the athletes themselves — who would like their captains featured are welcome to submit a photo to kgaudette@newburyportnews.com. Photos should have all captains featured and ideally in uniform.